//------------------------------// // Magical Differences // Story: Ponies and Grey Wardens: The Equestrian Age // by Icecane //------------------------------// The abysmal nothingness stretchered as far out as the eye could see. There was a perpetual silence that was only broken by the echoing footsteps of the commander as he traversed the black void. With no idea of where he was or how he had gotten there, he had no other choice to to move forward, hoping that blackness would end. A sliver of cold ran up his spine continuously, like a snake slithering across his back. His skin crawled as the isolation and barren emptiness played with his mind. Without warning, he jerked his head toward the side, seeing the same nothing that was all around him. Swearing he had heard something, a whisper aimed toward him, he gave his head a shake to clear it. Continuing his trek, he barely trekked a few feet before he heard it again. Certain it wasn't his mind playing tricks with him, he turned around to where the sound originated. Once again, there wasn't a single detail that marred the nothingness that went on and on. Forcing himself to move forward, the Warden kept his gaze straight ahead, blocking out any foreign noises. But he was unable to prevent the whispering, striking against him like a hammer. What was different this time however, was that the whispering did not stop. There was no more doubt that he was hearing something real. The whispers continued flowing into his ears, unintelligible, sounding as though they weren't even human. As he tried to listen closely to what the voices were saying, it only made the whispering come at a much more powerful rate, cluttering into his mind like a swarm. Breaking out into a run, the commander clutched at his ears, trying to stop the meaningless cluster of voices. They did not stop, his attempts at escaping them only made it worse. Further and further he ran, every sense his body had being attacked by the overbearing sounds. Not a word of it he could make out, especially as each voice drowned out the other. Collapsing onto his knees, he cried out into the void to make the plaguing voices stop. Even his own voice was lost among the sea of whispers that he was submerged in. His head felt as though it was going to split open, to be torn apart by the relentless sounds. Then, just as the commander felt that he could not stand a second more, the whispers stopped. It was almost maddening, to hear the sweet, siren tune of complete and total silence. The commander's hands began to shake as his intensified breathing slowly ran its course, every fiber of his mind still reeling from the ordeal. Looking up and out into the abyss that was still before him, his eyes widened as he saw something forming within the nothingness. The black silhouette of a creature stood just in front of him, its visage shrouded in darkness, all he could make out was a simple outline of a bipedal monster. Reaching over his back to grab his sword, the Warden's motion was halted halfway as he felt his body freeze in place. He could only look at the creature as it stood over him. As he struggled against whatever force that bound him, he suddenly felt a tight hold grasp against his neck. Sputtered breathing was all he could manage as the Warden's feet were lifted off of the ground. It felt as though an invisible hand had wrapped its fingers around his neck, slowly crushing his throat with an unnatural strength. The commander hovered above the ground, the non-existent hand that was clutching his neck keeping him in the air. It brought him up toward the creature's face, only being able to see the outline of it. It was then, he heard another whisper. Unlike the ones proceeding it, this one he could understand. The hollow voice sounded weak, but no less malevolent and chilling. “Where... is.... the call...” As the voice ended, the commander's eyes widened as he saw four long blades appear from within the darkness. Each blade was almost rectangular, parallel to one another and pulsating with a powerful, blue glow. Unable to move, he could do nothing as the blades were brought down on him. The Warden lurched upward in his bed suddenly, gasping sharply for air as the impenetrable darkness around him vanished to reveal the basement floor, the waking world hitting him like a splash of cold water. The action made one lavender mare jump back in a startled fit. A sharp cry of surprise erupted from Twilight, causing the human's gaze to turn to her. Another yelp of shock came from the Warden as he saw her. With the sudden presence of the unicorn, the surprised commander tumbled back out of his bed and crashed onto the floor with a heavy thud. “Goodness,” the scholar breathed, pressing a hoof against her chest to feel her beating heart, “you scared me half to death.” Slowly, the Warden manged to drag himself back onto the bed, allowing his dazed mind to focus on the pony in his basement room. “Twilight.... what are you....? Wait... were you watching me sleep?” “What?” she blinked. “No I... well yes, but not for very long. I was just coming down to wake you up for lunch and well... it's not everyday you get to see the sleeping habits of a new species... Do you know that you mumble a lot in your sleep?” The Warden couldn't help but frown. “I've been told so,” he murmured. Though he felt somewhat disturbed by the fact he was being observed in his sleep, he couldn't say it was the first time such a thing had happened. “Wait, how late is it?” “Oh,” the unicorn replied, “well, since you never woke up this morning, I figured you needed to sleep a little longer given what you've been through, so you kind of missed breakfast. Now it's nearing lunchtime and I wanted to make sure you were up to eat. I'm sure your species needs its nutrients just like any other, so I made sure to wake you up myself.” “Uh,” the Warden murmured, having not expected the sudden, long winded explanation, “well, ok. Thanks, I guess... Just give me a minute and I'll be up.” Twilight gave an affirmative nod of her head. “Alright then, I'll see you shortly.” With that, the young scholar trotted back up the stairs, leaving the commander to fully awaken himself. Sitting on the side of the bed, he stretched his arms out as far as the could, feeling the satisfying pops of his joints that had been stiffened in his sleep. Releasing one final yawn to drain himself of his drowsiness, he rubbed his eyes thoroughly as his mind drifted toward the dark abyss he had visited only a few moments ago. It was a nightmare, having just awoken from it made that proof enough. Though, the Warden-Commander couldn't remember the last time he had experienced one. It was an odd feeling, to say the least. Everything had felt so real to him, but then again, that was how many nightmares worked. Giving his head a quick shake, he cleared his mind and tossed his wandering thoughts on the subject aside, seeing no point in dwelling on it. Standing on his feet, he fidgeted with his clothes, straightening them to make them look more presentable. His armor made it into his thoughts as he pondered whether or not to put to heavy metal back on. There were heavy doubts that he would even need it, seeing little chance in actually being attacked while within the strange library. The Warden figured the simple garments he wore would be enough, though only a simple display of fabrics he wore underneath his armor for protection, they were much more comfortable than wearing the actual suit. Entering the library and walking toward where he had sat down with the unicorn for tea, the commander sat down on the pillowed seat and waited silently. Only a few minutes of solitude were had before Twilight entered from another room, levitating a tray above her. She smiled upon seeing the human and placed the tray on the center of the table. On the tray, three sandwich sat on their own separate plates. Twilight swiftly placed each plate by its owner, one for herself, one for the Warden, and one for the empty place between them. Their third soon accompanied them as the young dragon Spike came walking in, carrying his own tray of three cups filled with their drinks. After Spike sat down at his own spot, the drinks were passed between them. The commander noticed he was being watched, catching Spike's emerald green eyes focused on him. All he could do was give a weak smile as the young dragon silently turned his head away. Trying to ignore the strange look, the human looked down at his sandwich, causing his stomach to growl as if on cue. The silence between the three of them was quickly noted by the out of place human as he again felt eyes falling upon him. Looking up, he could see both Twilight and Spike watching him expectantly, seeing how their guest would react to the food being given to him. Not wanting to disappoint them, he picked up his sandwich and took a bite. That very moment was instantly regretted as the commander nearly heaved what little remained within his gut. Spitting out what he had bitten into onto his plate, the commander was disgusted to see the assortment of grassy greens within the wad of saliva soaked bread. “What is this?” “Do you not like it?” Twilight asked, her frown of disappointment evident. Feeling something leftover in his teeth, the Warden reached into his mouth and felt his stomach churn as he slowly pulled out a long strand of green, looking like a piece of a plant's stem. “It's a dandelion sandwich. Your kind can eat plants... right?” The commander removed the top slice of bread on the rest of his uneaten sandwich. To his surprise, he saw the yellow flowers placed neatly in a row just below, like one would for a normal sandwich. “By the Maker,” he said in bewilderment. “Why would I eat flowers? What do you think I am, some kind of-” He stopped himself as he realized what sort of creature he was addressing. “Oh, that's right, ponies... Well no, I don't eat such things.” “I guess that's my fault,” Twilight replied, sadly looking down in dejection. “I should have asked what kind of foods you ate, not just assume.” “It's alright, Twilight,” the Warden responded, picking the last piece of foliage out of his teeth. “I can understand that you're not used to seeing something like me.” The unicorn thought silently for a moment as she stared down at her own food. “Well, is there anything that you would like? Perhaps we can make something else.” Thinking on the subject, the Warden pondered what types of food that he could have in the strange world he was in. Meat was obviously out of the question, despite his hungry stomach craving just that. “Do you have any fruits or vegetables?” he asked. “They're not much, but I can eat those plain.” Twilight's ears perked up at that, her lips parting in a confident smile. “Oh yes, we can arrange that.” She stood from her seat and beckoned for her dragon assistant to follow her. “Give us a few minutes to get everything ready. Then we can eat and discuss more about your world.” “So... I'm not even in my world anymore...” Alistair murmured, the realization to his predicament rattling in his head. “That is the best I can think of,” Celestia replied, her tone holding a great amount of sympathy as the human's arrival made sense to her. “Despite my many years ruling Equestria, I have never encountered such creatures like you. And if what you say of your last memories before coming here are true, then a powerful magical spell must be involved.” The princesses and Alistair were situated within the banquet hall of the castle. A long table stretched out for them to sit at, decorated with bouquets of flowers held in crystalline vases and the finest plates the Warden-King had ever seen. At the far end, the only two seats were taken by the princesses, while Alistair took the first one on the side next to them. Not only was it odd for the king to be sitting down on pillows with royal equines, but his body was tensed from the continuous approach of the serving ponies who came by. They first came in carrying trays of tea and small cookies for them to have as they talked, followed by the occasional refilling of the kettle whenever needed. Stares were given as they walked by the human, never taking their eyes off of him, looking at him as though he might up and attack them at any moment. For every stare they gave him however, he gave one right back. His eyes continuously locked onto the horned ponies as their added appendage glowed with a magical aura, levitating whatever it was they were carrying at the time. Within the first few minutes, Alistair was told of the strange setting he had ended up in, filled with pegasi, earth ponies, as well as the magically adept unicorns. In turn, he explained what had occurred prior to him waking up within the castle. Strange looks of confusion were given by the princesses as some of what he had said was beyond their current understanding. Alistair now leaned forward onto the table, rubbing his brow as what he was being told slowly made sense to him. “So that Eluvian brought me to another world entirely, that's just brilliant. All I wanted was a little time away from court, see an old friend and maybe have a drink or two, but of course this happens!” Groaning loudly in an unnecessary fashion, he bit into a cookie as he stared up at the elevated ceiling. “Well... I guess things could be worse. I've certainly wound up in worse places than magical-happy-land.” “Alistair,” Celestia began, catching the king's attention, “now that you are aware of where you are, I would like to know more of your own world.” “Thedas?” Alistair questioned, only just realizing that the two princesses were as clueless about his world as he was about their own. “Well...” he thought aloud, tapping a finger against his cheek as his mind worked out what to say, “it's a bit like your own I suppose, at least from what I've seen. Blue water, bluer skies, green grass, trees everywhere... a lot of dirt... the works.” “And what of other creatures?” Luna asked, raising a questioning gaze. “Are all other sapient inhabitants as thick as yourself?” Alistair chuckled lightly, finding a hint of familiarity in the dark princess's attitude, reminding him of a certain woman he traveled with once. “Well, there's actually an entire race thicker than I. There are several other races other than humans though, the elves, qunari and dwarves to be exact.” “What are they like,” Celestia asked, intrigued. Alistair cleared his throat as he realized he was going to be talking a lot. “Well, we're all a bit the same in certain physical aspects. Two arms, two legs, walking upright and all that normality. But appearances and culture differ a lot between us. Dwarves, for instance, are really short.” Using his hand, he raised it above the ground to show them the average height a dwarf would be. “Tiny little fellows who are as hairy as they are small. They tend to live underground and are notorious as merchants, blacksmiths, strong warriors and drunks. Now the elves, are nearly the exact opposite of them. They're a little shorter and skinnier than humans in appearance, and they have,” he brought his index fingers against his ears, “pointed ears. The ones who don't live in our cities live out in the forests, holding a deep connection with nature as they try and piece together their ancient history. Besides that, you'd know an elf by the scarring chip many of them have in their shoulders, holding onto the longest grudge in history.” “What about these 'qunari' you mentioned?” Luna asked, attempting to hide her fullest interest toward the subject of otherworldly races. A silent pause slowly formed around them as Alistair thought on it. “To be honest, there isn't a whole lot known about qunari. They're not a very talkative bunch, I've only ever known one on a personal level, and he wasn't one for idle chit-chat. But, they're much like humans in appearance, though bigger and having a darker skin tone. From what I've come to understand, their society is very strict with honor and everyone is very dedicated to their place in life. They're apparently a bunch of sticks in the mud though...” “Your world certainly sounds interesting,” Celestia replied, finding a fascination with what she was being told. “What of yourself and your comrades you've mentioned? 'Grey Wardens' I believe you called them.” “You want to know about the Wardens?” the commander asked, finding the question rather sudden. Reaching into the bowl before him, he grabbed another piece of sliced vegetable from the large bowl that was set infront of him and tossed it into his mouth. The bowl was filled with lettuce and different sliced vegetables. It seemed like a mess of slop one would give to livestock, but he was told it was something called a salad. Twilight nodded her head excitedly, the young scholar having soaked up every little morsel of information she was learning about the land where the Warden had come from. After learning of the different races who inhabited his world, she was now curious about the title her guest held. “You said you're the commander of them, right? Are they a form of military?” “I suppose they are,” the Warden murmured, having never really thought of them like that. “And I'm not the commander of he entire group. I lead the Grey Wardens who inhabit Ferelden, one of the many nations in Thedas.” “So there are more all around the world?” Twilight asked. “Many more,” he replied. “Actually, Ferelden has very few in comparison to the other nations. We've been slowly rebuilding our ranks when several years ago, there were only two Grey Wardens within all of Ferelden, myself and my friend Alistair.” “So... you were the commander of one?” Spike murmured, sounding unimpressed. The Warden chuckled. “Well, I wasn't the commander yet. The current commander, and all of the other Grey Wardens were lost in a massacre of a battle during a war with our greatest enemy, the darkspawn, called a Blight.” Twilight involuntarily grimaced at the word. “Darkspawn?” For a reason she couldn't understand, just saying it filled her with a momentary sense of dread. The Warden slowly nodded. “Horrific monsters that live in the deepest, darkest reaches of the world. They're less than animals, having only the instinct to free their masters from their underground prisons, called an Archdemon.” The commander's gaze drifted toward the purple-scaled assistant. “An Archdemon is an ancient deity that holds the appearance of a massive dragon. Once freed, the Archdemon leads the darkspawn to the surface, then the Blight begins. During a Blight, the darkspawn will slaughter any creature that isn't like their own, corrupting the very land they walk on.” Twilight could only shake her head at the senseless concept. “But why... why would they do such a thing? What is their purpose?” “Darkspawn have no purpose,” he answered bluntly. “All they ever do is continuously search for an Archdemon to lead them to the surface, then they'll keep killing every living thing until the Blight is either stopped, or they eradicate all life.” Looking down aimlessly at the table, Twilight could barely comprehend such horrific creatures that only want to kill. Such a darkness seemed nonexistent in Equestria. “And how, would you end a Blight?” “Kill the Archdemon,” the Warden replied, saying it like it was a simple feat. “K-kill it?” Spike stammered, not liking the idea of killing a dragon, even one from another world. The Warden nodded. “It's the only way to end the Blight. The Archdemon controls the darkspawn through a mental link connecting them all, severing that connection drives them back underground, and it's only Grey Wardens who are able to kill an Archdemon.” “What do griffons have to do with it?” Twilight asked, still curious as to what they had to do with it all. Surprised by the question, the human looked down at his chest, forgetting that he wasn't wearing his armor. “You know what griffons are?” “Yes,” the scholar answered. “They have an empire far to the east of Equestria, a few are citizens here as well. Are they also a race in your world?” “Heh, not exactly. They were once wild animals that the first Grey Wardens used as mounts to fly into battle against the Archdemon. They have long since gone extinct, now only serving as the symbol Wardens are known for, being seen as the main opposition against the darkspawn. We hold greater ability against the darkspawn than normal soldiers, being able to sense where they are and having a resistance to their corrupting taint.” Trying to fathom what she was being told proved difficult for the scholar. A threat that couldn't be defeated with their magic, one that needed to be killed in order to stop, it sounded too horrifying to think about. The more she thought on it however, the more she was aware that the Warden had magic in his world as well. “So what is magic like in your world?” she asked, determined to know as much as she could on that particular subject. “It's a very dangerous thing,” Alistair responded simply, answering the question that Celestia presented. Though both princesses seemed shocked to hear about the darkspawn, there was still the matter of what magic was like where the human came from. “In Thedas, magic's a lot different than what it's like here.” “How so?” Luna inquired, her curiosity overpowering her abrasiveness toward the man. Alistair thought hard on how he should explain it to them, figuring he shouldn't go too deeply within the religious aspect of it all. “Well, here, you can apparently pick up things, move the sun and moon, make weather, all of that fun sounding magic. Where I'm from, it's more zappy zappy kaboom dying person, than anything else.” “So you have many offensive spells?” Celestia asked, trying to follow what the human was saying. “Well there's more than just that,” the king said. “Most magic stems around the natural elements. Like shooting fire, lightning, ice. I've even seen some mages create roots that grab onto your legs. There are also some spells that can heal and create protection... but you're more likely to get a fireball to the face rather than a protective shield. Then, there's blood magic... but I really don't feel comfortable discussing that.” The princesses both frowned at the statement. “Is something wrong?” the sun princess asked sincerely. “No no,” the Warden-King replied, “I don't mean any kind of insult by it. It's just not something I'd want to bring up here. It's the most dangerous form of magic a mage can perform. It's also one of the reasons why mages are made to live inside the Circle Towers to train in their abilities.” “Made to live?” Luna repeated in a scrutinizing tone. “Do you mean like a prison?” “No, it's not like that at all,”Alistair quickly said, sounding far more defensive than he wanted to. “It's a school for mages to learn to control their magical abilities. Untrained mages are as dangerous to themselves as they are to others. They either go to blood magic and attack everyone or the demons get to them.” Celestia's ears perked fully upright as she listened intently. “Demons? What are they, Alistair?” “A nasty bunch,” Alistair murmured. “Very dangerous creatures, maybe even more so than the darkspawn. They live in a realm where the magic that mages use exists called the Fade. The Fade is parallel to our own world, containing spirits of both good and bad intentions, demons are the bad ones. When a mage sleeps, their mind is like an open invitation for demons to break free from the Fade. They use mages to come through into our world, driven by a coveting need and will destroy anyone who tries to stop them. Once a demon enters our world, they are a powerful threat that will take many lives to put down. The less experienced a mage is, the more likely a demon will find them and use them.” A dreary sigh was heaved by the king as he stared off into his surroundings. “Demons are the main reason mages are seen as dangerous people. If demons are far from your own worries, than you are certainly fortunate.” His thoughts turned to a certain mage he had met before, a fellow Grey Warden who his commander friend had saved from execution. “Actually, I happen to know a mage who would probably love it here.” The pounding, splitting headache was the first thing Anders felt as he opened his eyes to greet his surroundings. Heavy groans of misery escaped him, his head feeling like it had the time he had told Oghren he could drink him under the table, it was a mistake. Feeling a soft cushion underneath him, the mage realized he was lying atop a bed of some kind. Rising from his flattened position, he sat up to look around. Nothing looked familiar as he found himself in a small room. The walls were uneven and never flat, forming a near circular path around him. Shelves carved into the walls held alchemical vials, a set of wooden bowls and an assortment of odd looking plants. Strange masks hung on the walls and were set against the walls, each having elongated faces and markings painted on the front. Most notable was a large cauldron placed in the center of the room, holding a stagnate, green liquid inside. Anders' confusion to what was going on was only heightened as he heard the soft purr of a cat and turned toward the source. His eyes widened in surprise as he saw a four legged, black and grey colored creature standing across the room. It hadn't noticed him stirring, the creature's attention being placed on the white cat that sat on the table before it.